


To Espresso my Love

by HiddenTreasures



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-02 11:51:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13317510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenTreasures/pseuds/HiddenTreasures
Summary: After the shop she works in burns down, Rose is soon recruited to work at the coffee shop her best mate, James, is opening.





	To Espresso my Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gingergallifreyan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingergallifreyan/gifts).



> This was written for the lovely gingergallifreyan as part of the dwsecretsanta exchange.

“Rose!”

The front door to the flat burst open, startling Rose and making her slosh a bit of hot tea out of her mug and onto her fingers. She hissed and set her cup on the coffee table, and barely had time to wipe her hand clean on her jeans before she was pulled into a crushing hug.

“Oh, Rose! I just heard the news! Your shop! You were closing tonight… Were you there when the fire broke out? How are you? Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

Rose wrapped her arms around her best mate’s shoulders as she tried to get a word in edgewise.

“I’m fine, James,” she soothed, rubbing her hand up and down his back. “Yeah, I was in the shop, but I got out straight away before anything started collapsing.”

“Oi, she’s the one that nearly burned to death, why is she comforting you?”

Rose rolled her eyes at her mother.

“Oh!” James pulled back and ran his eyes up and down her body as he kept his hands cupped around her shoulders.

“I’m fine,” she said again. She reached up and cradled his cheeks in her palms and forced him to look at her. “James. I’m fine. Nothing to worry about.”

His shoulders slumped and he pulled her in for another hug, this one much gentler than his first.

“I was so scared,” he whispered.

“I know. But I’m fine.” Rose pecked a kiss to his neck. “C’mon. I’ll make you a cuppa tea.”

She pulled back from his embrace and grabbed his hand to guide him to the kitchen. She sat him down and filled the kettle before she grabbed a mug for him.

“So how’s construction going?” she asked as she moved around the kitchen, getting out the milk and sugar and a box of James’s favorite biscuits.

“Good!” he said. “They’re basically done. They’ll be decorating soon, then it’s just moving in furniture and equipment. I’ve started teaching myself how to make various teas and coffees. It looks like it’ll be ready to open the first of September!”

A little over a year ago, James had come to Rose and told her he was quitting uni and planning to open up a coffee shop. At first she’d laughed, thinking he was joking, but at the wounded look on his face, she’d realized he was dead serious.

“Inheritance money came through,” he’d sniffed, looking away from her as she tried to apologize for laughing. “I dunno. Everything’s changed since the fire. School just isn’t fun anymore. I need a change.”

Rose had wrapped him in a hug and told him she would support him and be there for him no matter what he wanted to do in life.

“That’s what best mates are for, yeah?” she’d whispered into his ear.

James had bought a plot of land and had started meeting with construction agencies to design his coffee shop. He’d brought Rose along to most of the meetings, wanting her opinion and her artistic eye, and after months of meetings and planning, construction had finally started.

“That’s so exciting,” Rose said, setting a steaming cup of tea in front of him. “I’m so happy for you, James. And I’m so happy to see you happy.”

He hummed and took a careful sip as a contemplative look entered his eyes. Rose bit back a smile and settled into her chair as she watched him think. She could almost see the synapses firing.

After a few silent moments, broken only by the slurping of tea and the crunching of biscuits, James finally blinked a few times and stared at her.

“You don’t have a job,” he said bluntly.

“Quite an astute observation,” Rose teased.

“You don’t have a job,” James continued, “and I don’t have any employees.”

Rose nearly choked on her tea as she realized where he was heading with this train of thought.

“James,” she said carefully.

“C’mon, it’s perfect!” he said, his voice raising in excitement. “You helped me build this shop anyway. We’re practically co-owners!”

“Uh, no, we’re not,” Rose argued. “You’re the one that put all the money into it.”

“And you helped figure out where I should build it, and how it should look,” James retorted. “No one would want to visit a boring old coffee shop, but you, Rose Tyler, have designed a cute little shop, where everyone’s gonna wanna stop and have a cuppa.”

“I have no idea how to make coffees,” Rose reminded.

“Neither do I,” he said with a shrug. “We can learn together. C’mon. Please? Pretty please?”

Rose’s heart clenched and her belly flipped when she saw his bottom lip jut out in the pout she could never say no too. And the bloody bastard knew it.

She sighed, and tried to ignore the victorious grin crossing his face.

“Oh, all right,” Rose said. “I’ll work for you and your bloody shop.”

“No, no, I want you to be co-owner with me,” James said, shaking his head.

“Nope, I’m putting my foot down on that, and don’t you try that pout on me again,” she warned when his bottom lip jutted out once more. She then tossed him a cheeky grin and said, “But if it’ll make you feel better, you can make me the shop manager.”

oOoOo

And so Rose began learning how to run a coffee shop. She joined James in his barista training, which she was surprised to learn took place in the late evenings at a coffee shop across town.

“This is Sarah Jane,” James said, walking into the shop just an hour before it closed. “She’s been graciously letting me use her shop to practice my drink-making. And lets the other patrons have free samples of my attempts. It’s quite a good arrangement, if I say so myself.”

Rose agreed, and she dove into coffee-making with an enthusiasm and success that surprised both her and James.

“How is it that you’re already better at this than me?” he pouted after her first week of training.

“Didn’t you know?” She winked and grinned at him with that tongue-touched grin that made his belly flip so wonderfully. “I’m brilliant!”

They spent virtually every waking hour together, or at least in contact with each other. They were hammering out the final details of the shop including a menu, website, and social media pages to advertise their shop.

They continued practicing making coffees, teas, and breakfast and lunch sandwiches, and they trained the handful uni students who they’d hired to help out around the shop. As August waned, they—or at least Rose—felt confident in their preparedness of their shop. She was excited. These last several months of working with her best friend had been some of the best of her life.

Finally, September first was upon them. It dawned with gray skies that threatened rain, and James got into the shop a full hour before it opened. Rose got there a half hour before it opened, and when she got there, she started brewing the regular coffee as James went across the street to the bakery they’d made a deal with for the muffins, donuts, and pastries they could sell in the shop.

Finally, 7am hit, and they waited with bated breath to see what would come of the shop that had consumed their lives for the last few months. They only had to wait a few minutes before the bell above the door jingled with their first customer.

“Jack!”

Rose beamed brightly at her mate, and at the five people trailing behind him.

“Rosie!” Jack swept up to the counter. “A kiss for your first customer?”

He winked, making Rose laugh, before she leaned over and pecked a kiss to Jack’s cheek.

James tried really really hard to ignore the hot knot deep in his chest and instead pasted on a smile for the group of people.

“What’ll you have?” Rose asked.

“Three hot coffees, room for cream and sugar in each, two pumpkin spice lattes, and a chai tea latte,” Jack said, glancing back at his friends to make sure he got their orders right.

“Anything to eat?” Rose asked, ringing up the order as James got started on the regular coffees.

Jack stepped over to the baked goods display, and ordered three muffins and three scones.

“Thanks so much,” Rose said, swiping Jack’s card. “Your order will be ready in just a mo’.”

Rose turned away from the front counter to start on the specialty drinks, which she handed over to Jack and his buddies along with their food order.

“If you’d like, we’d appreciate if you left a Google review for us and the shop,” Rose said to the group. “But no pressure. Have a nice day!”

With their first customers taken care of, some of their nerves abated.

Throughout the morning, they had a steady influx of people, some who were friends of James or Rose who came out to support them, and others were perfect strangers on their way to work or school. After the morning rush, things died down a little bit, letting James and Rose take stock of how things were going and clean things that needed cleaning.

By the end of their first month in business, their shop wasn’t the most popular place in town, but it did have a very steady flow of customers, both first-timers and regulars. It had garnered a solid online rating, minus the few negative reviews because people had to wait too long for their coffee, despite them visiting during the early-morning rush.

James and Rose were so pleased with their shop. James looked the happiest he’d looked in a while, and her heart melted with fondness and adoration for her best friend. Despite the misfortune of it, she was sort of happy her old job burned down; working with James in his cafe was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

“You and your boyfriend have a lovely shop, here.”

Rose turned her head towards the voice, and saw a red-haired regular—Donna, Rose thought her name was—waving as she set her plate and mug from her lunch into the dirty dishes tub.

“Oh, no, he’s not my boyfriend,” Rose said. “Just a friend. My best friend.”

Donna frowned, then a sly smile slipped across her face. “Well, best friends is certainly how many relationships start. For what it’s worth, half the shop thinks you’re dating. Have a great day, Rose.”

Puzzled, Rose watched Donna walk out of the shop.

Dating? Her and James? Half the shop thinking they’re dating? What was that all about?

Rose shook it off. Donna must just be exaggerating.

But Donna’s comment stayed with her, and after that, it seemed as though she heard the gossip all around the cafe about the “adorable couple running the shop”.

“What’s that frown for?”

James skipped up to her and bumped his hip against hers.

“Hmm?”

He poked his finger at the corner of her mouth.

“I don’t like the frowny face,” he said, poking harder until Rose felt her lips lift into a smile. He beamed in return. “There we go! You’ve got a lovely smile, Rose. But everything okay? You’ve seemed out of it since lunch.”

“Oh, just thinking,” Rose said vaguely, and she suddenly seemed hyper-aware of just how close James was standing to her. His hip still brushed against hers as he rocked on his feet, and her entire side seemed to tingle with the heat of him beside her.

“About?” he prompted.

“Oh, but that would be telling,” she teased, bumping her hip into his. “Come on, those dishes won’t clean themselves. I’ll report you for slacking on the job.”

“Hmm, but I happen to know the owner quite well,” he mused, smirking. “I’m confident I could sweet-talk my way out of trouble.”

“Go ahead and try it, see how that works for you,” Rose said, pushing him lightly towards the pile of dirty dishes.

When she turned back around, she saw she had a customer. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment that she hadn’t even noticed.

“Sorry about that,” she said quickly.

“Oh, I don’t mind. You’re so cute together,” the old lady said with a kindly smile.

Rose’s cheeks then burned with yet another observation that her interactions with James were seen as flirty.

After serving the lady her tea and scone, Rose grabbed a muffin for herself and picked at it as she watched James bouncing around the shop, interacting with their customers and employees. He was energetic and all smiles, yet no one was commenting on him flirting with them. So what was different with her?

James caught her watching, and Rose was amazing to watch his smile abruptly change. It got impossibly wider, and it seemed as though every muscle in his face softened. His smile sent butterflies swarming in her stomach, and it was impossible to not return his smile. But were their actions actually flirty? Surely best mates made each other smile like that?

Deep down, Rose knew that wasn’t true. She hadn’t felt these butterflies since she’d had her first boyfriend. But at the same time, these butterflies were different from anything she’d ever felt before. They were more intense, and they didn’t make her nervous the way she’d felt with her first boyfriend. She felt utterly relaxed and at ease around James, but those damned butterflies fluttered away inside of her.

Over the next few months, Rose continued to listen to the shop gossip as more and more people thought they were dating. It amused her whenever a customer found out that she and James were indeed not a couple. James, thankfully, seemed oblivious to these comments; she wasn’t sure how he would react. If he laughed, amused by the idea that he and Rose were a couple, she’d be heartbroken and embarrassed. If he clammed up and was uncomfortable by the gossip, he would surely make their time together in the shop awkward. Rose didn’t want to lose her best friend over something as stupid as other people projecting a fake relationship onto them.

But there were some days when Rose imagined that he would smile that soft little smile, and he would finally do something to make those rumors true. She imagined going on a date with James, kissing him, going to his flat and making out and seeing where that led…

“Rose!”

She jumped, terrified that somehow James had read her mind and knew where her thoughts had headed. But he was bounding towards her with his iPad and a beaming grin.

“Rose, look at this!”

He thrust the iPad under her nose. A photograph of an old bookcase was on display.

“I was just browsing around for more furniture,” he said. “We could do with a bit more decor in here. Not that all you’ve done isn’t enough! It’s just, we’ve got that one empty wall.” He gestured to the empty space between the wall and the door between the loo. “And it’s just… books! I’ve been thinking of how to spice up the shop a bit, and what better way than to encourage reading. I had this thought. Take a book, leave a book. I’ve got loads of old books in my flat, just sitting and gathering dust. I could bring them here. People could read them over coffee, and if they see one they want, they can take it, as long as they leave a book in return. It’s a mini anonymous book exchange! I was thinking we could start it up after the holidays.”

“Sounds like a great idea,” Rose said fondly, handing his iPad back.

“It is, isn’t it?” James preened. He fiddled around with the iPad for a few minutes before he beamed. “Ordered! It’ll be delivered January third.”

James wiggled his eyebrows in excitement at her, before he took off for the employee lounge to put the iPad away.

“I’ve got twenty quid on you getting together by the New Year.” Rose jumped and turned towards the voice. Donna was standing by the counter with her credit card out and a scowl on her face. “So if you’re planning to put the moves on that skinny streak of nothing, now would be a great time.”

“What can I get you?” Rose asked, ignoring Donna’s brazen words and hoping her flaming cheeks didn’t look too red.

“Peppermint mocha and a blueberry muffin,” Donna said. “Seriously. When are you two gonna get your heads out of your arses?”

Rose still ignored her and turned around to start on Donna’s drink.

“Can I help with anything?”

James reappeared in his work apron and his sleeves rolled to his elbows, revealing his toned forearms. Who knew forearms were so sexy? Rose forced herself to not stare at them as she said, “Could you grab a blueberry muffin for Donna?”

“Righty-o!” he said as Rose capped Donna’s to-go cup.

She handed the beverage to Donna and took her card to swipe it.

“Blueberry muffin,” James announced proudly, and Rose nearly jumped when James stepped up right behind her. His front pressed against her back as he reached around her to give Donna her muffin. The proximity of James’s body with hers made her shiver, and she flushed at the amused glint in Donna’s eyes.

“See you around,” she said with a sly grin, pocketing her card and grabbing her order before heading out of the shop.

“You’re on dishes duty,” James said, still standing right behind her.

“Well someone’s sort of blocking my exit,” she teased, and in a fit of boldness, she took a step back so their bodies came into tight contact.

He sucked in a sharp breath that sent her belly swooping. As suddenly as the boldness overtook her, it left, and she feared she had crossed a line, so she ducked her head and went off to retrieve the tub of dishes to load the dishwasher.

Ever since that moment, James seemed to be touching her more frequently. She hadn’t believed that was possible, and yet his hands were always brushing across hers as they handed each other things. He stood right beside her as they manned the counter. When they took breaks together, he stretched out his legs so his feet were touching hers.

Every touch sent pleasant tingles down her spine, and she enjoyed playing his game. She dished it out just as much as he did, and she delighted in the pinkening of his cheeks and his quickly-drawn breath as she returned his touches.

The tension ramped higher and higher between them until Rose thought for sure she would die of frustration. She kept waiting for him to make a move. There were a few times when he leaned in so close, she thought he was about to kiss her, but he always stuttered over his words and instead gave her arm a squeeze and went off to attend to some other business.

There were times when Rose wanted to put an end to their game and just grab him by his lapels and snog the breath out of him. But it was a terrifying prospect. What if he didn’t like her in that way? She was sure he did, based on their weeks of incessant teasing and flirting. But the fear that he didn’t want her like she wanted him kept her from doing anything about it.

“Twenty quid,” Donna said pointedly as James came up to Rose and stole the last bite of her banana nut muffin. “Twenty. Quid.”

Rose blushed furiously and gave Donna change for the tenner she’d paid with.

“That man loves you,” Donna said, her voice going softer than Rose ever heard it. “If that was what you’re worried about. He won’t reject you.”

Rose’s tongue swelled in her mouth, and she stuttered out a few nonsense words before clamping her lips together.

“Have a nice day,” she instead murmured.

Donna gave Rose’s hand a quick squeeze as she took her change, then she walked out of the shop.

All day, Donna’s words rolled through Rose’s head.  _That man loves you_. In a way, she already knew that. It was so painfully obvious how much James loved her. And how much she loved him. But in what way did he love her? She knew how she loved him, but that didn’t mean he felt the same way.

_I’ll just have to tell him,_  Rose resolved.

But every time she tried to bring it up with James, she chickened out. She was too scared of ruining her relationship with him.

And then one December day, when an unseasonable snow and ice storm hit, everything changed.

“Looks like it’s getting bad out there,” James noted. “You lot can head home, if you need to.”

The two uni students looked relieved, and they stripped off their aprons and donned their coats and scarves and headed out into the storm.

“You’re not leaving?” James asked.

Rose shook her head and gestured around at the full shop. “I can’t abandon you here with everyone.”

“I can hold my own,” he argued.

“Oh, I know you could. But don’t you want the extra hands?”

He smiled softly. “Yeah. Extra help would be nice. At least ‘til the rush dies down.”

But the storm only got worse.

“You know,” James said tentatively. “My flat is just above the shop. If you want… you could stay the night with me? I don’t want anything happening to you on your way home.”

Rose’s heart quickened and her throat felt dry, but an inexplicable warmth overcame her. And with it, nerves. This was it. Staying the night in James’s flat, she could finally tell him how she felt.

But of course, she lost her nerve as James showed her into his bedroom later that night after they closed up the shop and had dinner in his flat.

“It’s queen-sized,” he said unnecessarily. “Big enough for two. Unless that’s weird? That might be weird. I can take the sofa.”

“No, it’s all right,” Rose said immediately, a thrill of anticipation shooting through her. “We can both fit.”

James nodded. “I’ve, er, I’ve got clothes you can sleep in, if you’d like.”

“Oh, I usually sleep in the nude,” Rose teased.

A high squeak escaped James’s mouth as his cheeks turned bright red. His lips moved for a few moments before Rose took pity on him.

“I’m just joking. A change of clothes would be great.”

He continued staring at her for a few more seconds before he remembered himself, and he turned and swept over to his dresser.

“Boxers and a t-shirt okay?” he asked. “I’ve got pj bottoms, but you’d be swimming in those.”

“Boxers and a t-shirt is fine,” she said.

He handed her the clothes, and she went into the adjoining loo to change. When she slipped the shirt over her head, she was immediately assaulted by the smell of James. God, he smelled good. She tucked her nose under the collar of the shirt, and inhaled deeply, letting the familiar, comforting scent overcome her.

She then washed her face and rinsed her mouth with mouthwash, wishing she could brush her teeth, but all things considered, this would have to do.

When she exited the loo, James stepped in to change. The bedsheets were turned down, and Rose saw the rumpled pillow and slight indentation on the left side of the mattress, indicating that was where James usually slept, so she crawled into bed on the right side of the bed.

James entered the bedroom after a few minutes, and he grinned when he saw her already underneath the covers.

“You picked the right side!”

Rose looked down at the bed and, feeling impish, teased, “Good job, James, you’ve figured out right versus left!”

He rolled her eyes, before he turned the light off and walked to the bed.

“I meant that I sleep on this side,” he said, crawling in beside her.

In the dark, Rose seemed hyper-aware of James’s proximity, and of the heat radiating beside her from his body.

“Got enough room?” he whispered, shifting onto his side to look at her.

“Mhm.”

He was quiet for a few moments before he said, “Does this feel weird to you?”

Rose shook her head. “Nope. Does it feel weird to you?”

“Nope!”

She could hear the grin in his voice, and she relaxed further into the mattress, feeling safe and cozy tucked up in bed with her best friend.

“Nighty night, Rose,” he murmured. He shuffled closer and Rose stiffened when his lips pressed to her forehead. Then he rolled away and tugged the blankets up to his neck. “Sleep well.”

She envied him the ability to fall straight to sleep, while her mind was a tangled mess. Surely that kiss meant something? A kiss to the forehead in the dark in bed together. That definitely meant something. But the bloody idiot fell asleep before she could ask him what the hell that was all about.

_Tomorrow_ , she resolved.  _I’ll talk to him tomorrow. For real this time._

She forced her body to relax, and she focused on breathing steadily, and soon enough, she fell asleep.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d slept, but it couldn’t have been too long, as she was still groggy and exhausted. She shifted, wondering what had awoken her, but the feel of a body moving with her and a soft sigh made her freeze. She slowly moved her head to look behind her, and she saw a tuft of brown hair.

James was cuddled into her side, with his arm draped around her waist and his leg wedged between hers.

No, this wasn’t cuddling. This was spooning. His long, warm body was molded perfectly around hers, holding her tightly to him, and she was just as surprised to realize she had been leaning back into his touch in her sleep.

Her heart raced in her chest. It felt so, so nice to be held this intimately. But was she taking advantage of him? No, they’d both been asleep and unconscious of their actions.

He hummed out a breath and murmured, “All right?”

She froze. He was awake? But when she looked, his eyes were still closed. Okay, so maybe not completely awake.

“Yeah, go back to sleep.”

“M’kay.” He exhaled softly and tucked his face into her shoulder and let out a soft snore.

A thrill of love and affection swelled through her as she relaxed into his embrace and let herself fall back to sleep. She’d deal with the ramifications, if there were any, in the morning.

When she awoke, a dull gray light was glowing from the window. She groaned and stretched, delighting in the way her spine crackled. But her delight faded when she realized she was alone in bed. The sheets on James’s half of the bed were draped around her shoulders, as though James had tucked her in after he got out of bed. The tenderness of the action contrasted awkwardly with the coldness of waking up alone.

But before Rose could think too much about it, the ajar bedroom door was pushed open by James, who had his hands full with a tray of steaming food. The scent of bacon pervaded her nostrils, and her stomach gurgled hungrily as a feeling of relief overcame her. Surely he wouldn’t bring her breakfast in bed if things had gotten awkward between them?

However, there was a skittish look on James’s face, and that caused a knot to tighten in her stomach.

“Morning,” he said softly. “Did you sleep all right?”

“Slept brilliantly.”

“Me too.”

They stared awkwardly at each other for a few quiet moments.

“So what’s all this?” she asked, gesturing to the food.

“Er, breakfast.” He stepped up to the bed and set the tray carefully at the foot of the bed before he wrung his hands in front of him.

“Why do you look like I’m about to kill your puppy?” she asked.

To her relief, James smiled.

“I was just thinking. Last night was the best night’s sleep I’d gotten in a while,” he said. “And waking up beside you? It’s the happiest I’ve ever felt. You’re my best mate, Rose. Have been for years. But I’ve been thinking a lot lately, and that’s not enough for me anymore.”

Rose could hardly believe her ears. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

“It’s not?” she asked, trying to not get her hopes up in case she was misunderstanding him.

He shook his head. “No. I was thinking… if you’re agreeable, that is… maybe ‘girlfriend’ might be a step in the right direction?”

Rose’s heart swelled with joy, and she couldn’t stop the face-splitting grin even if she wanted to. And why would she want to?

She scrambled out of bed, being careful to not knock over the platter of food, and she skipped up to James. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a sloppy, uncoordinated kiss. He hummed against her lips as his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly to him.

Time ceased all meaning the longer they kissed. Their lips and tongues and hands grew bolder the longer the kiss progressed. She nipped at his lower lip after he grabbed her bum to pull her closer, and the moan he let out sent hot bolts of desire low into her belly.

She arched into his body, feeling the evidence of his arousal brushing against her hip, and she rubbed against it, delighting in his hitched breath and the way his fingers dug into her arse.

“Oh, God, Rose,” he whispered, panting for breath.

“I know.” And she caught his lips in another kiss.

Their breakfast lay forgotten on the nightstand—where James moved it after nearly upending the mugs of tea onto his bed—for quite a while as James and Rose took their time exploring each other in ways they’d both longed to for years.

And as he moved deep within her, sending sparks of pleasure and love through her with every thrust of his body, he dropped his lips to her ear.

“I love you.”

Rose tightened her hold around him, cradling him deeper into her body, as she whispered the words back to him.

“I love you, too, James.”

His smile was so tender and full of joy and love. Rose couldn’t wait to make him smile like that for the rest of their lives. Because what she and James had, she knew, she just  _knew_ , that it would last forever.

An alarm on James’s phone broke up their post-coital cuddle session.

“I need to go down and open the shop,” he whispered into her skin.

“Mmm, but this is so nice,” she moaned, wrapping her body tighter around his.

He laughed, his chest rumbling under her ear. But he pressed a kiss to her hair and extricated himself from her embrace.

“You can sleep some more,” he said. “I’m gonna shower and head down. I don’t expect we’ll be busy today. People are probably staying in until the snow’s cleared.”

Rose did nap for a short while as he showered, but when he was done, she got herself up, showered, and dressed back into yesterday’s clothes before she went down to help him open.

James was right: the shop remained fairly empty until mid-morning. At that time, Donna entered the shop.

“What’ll you be having today?” Rose asked.

“Just a coffee, room for cream,” the redhead replied. “And a blueberry muffin.”

“Coming right up.”

James went for the muffin as Rose filled a to-go cup with their strongest brew.

“Here you go. Oh, no, it’s on the house,” she said, waving away Donna’s attempts to fish her credit card out of her purse, and ignoring James’s confused hum. “Just tell that mate of yours to cough up that twenty quid.”

Donna frowned for a moment, before a look of understanding dawned across her face. 

Rose bit her lip on a grin, and turned to James to press a kiss to his lips. He squeaked in surprise, but then melted into the kiss. They were lost to the sensations of their mouths gliding over each other’s, and smiled against each other’s lips when they heard Donna exclaim, “About bloody time!”


End file.
